9/15/08

Warm kohlrabi and spinach salad

A week or two back I was food-shopping with my sister. I'm a big fan of food-shopping, and I can spend hours doing it. Probably explains why I only own one pair of shoes.. but I digress.
So we were in the produce section planning to make a sweet and sour chicken salad when I spotted a kohlrabi. Of course I'd seen them before, but I'd never actually used it myself. After much begging, my sister who had really been craving some chicken (I'm evil) allowed me to pick the kohlrabi and anything I thought might go well with it.

Pure joy! Once you get familiar with all your veggies, comfortable with the different way to combine their flavours and herbs, you get to a point where you can stand in a shop and just go.. "mm, yea some of this- and that might go well with spinach... and of course spinach with beef... tomatoes? nono, I always eat tomatoes, something different then.."
And then you get back to the kitchen, and you start putting your choices together.. some of them cooked, some only washed. When the time comes to add the extra flavours another whole world of options opens up. (I know I'm starting to sound a little insane.) So, there's the honey, mustard.. Garlic, always garlic. Basil flavoured olive oil? Oh yes. Now something to spice it up.. and that's where my brilliant daring sister who inherited most of the cooking genes comes in.. "Some dille?" she says. Dille? With beef? huh?
But yea, dille it is. And it was brilliant. Re-made it yesterday, served on a lovely blue plate to get y'all a picture. Isn't it nice?

Ingredients (two servings);
- Spinach
- a Kohlrabi
- 300/400 grams of lean beef
For the dressing*;
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 or 3 tbsp olive oil (with basil)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp dille
Optional;
- pinenuts, pistachios or other nuts/seeds. A combination works too.

Wash the spinach, preferably the wild yummie kind with big leaves. And tear those big leaves into managable bits. Arrange them on a plate. Chop your kohlrabi into cubes and your beef into strips. Throw them in a pan, beef first- kohlrabi following when that's browned. While that's cooking mix up your dressing. After a minute or five take your pan and drop it all on the spinach bed. Finish it off with the dressing and perhaps nuts or seeds.

Enjoy :)

*Please keep in mind that I NEVER actually measure things when I cook them, and anything I make will never turn out the same way twice. It depends on the products you're getting, the type of mustard or honey you're using, the quality and mildness of the olive oil you're using.. When making a dressing, taste it! Mix it 'till you get a consistency you're happy with, and whatever you do- never stick to something a recipe says when your gut and tastebuds are telling you it ain't quite right.

14 comments:

Robin said...

Mmm, looks yummy. I'll have to try it. I too like to pick unknown items from the produce section just to see what I can make of them when I'm home. I had a kohlrabi once but didn't get to use it. I'll have to try this.

Marc said...

Naomi,

Love love love your end comment.
It's a feel thing. ;-)
I do sometimes put measure guidelines on my blog, so people have some idea how to go about it.

Marc

Naomi said...

Hi Robin,

If you try the kohlrabi I'll go look for some of those honeycrisps :)
Glad you stopped by!


And hello Marc,

I knew you'd be able to appreciate that.. It IS a feel thing! I had to learn it, but you definitely just seem to have it. Tell me Marc, are you a natural? ;)

Milhouse said...

Tried kohlrabi for the first time this summer and fell in love. Also must agree with your "feel" comment. I worked in a restaurant and was always taught that cooking is art while baking is chemistry.

Charlotte said...

how did you know I have a kohlrabi in my fridge and no idea of what to do with it?? You're a genius, girl!

Now - do you have anything that used celeriac?? Got one of those sitting around too...

Also, thanks for your kind comment on my post today:)

Naomi said...

Hi Aaron,
That's a nice way to think about it! I do love chemistry though ;) If I had an oven I'd be baking a lot more.

Hello Charlotte, It's so cool to have you visit my blog- especially with good timing like that. Go for soup with your celeriac, always works :) Tomato soup?

Anonymous said...

ahhh...this picture looks like vomit! dont post bad pictures of your yuckie food and then force me to look at on stumble upon.

Steve said...

Hey, this blog is awesome and the food looks great! I'm shifting to Paleo and always am looking for good recipes. Keep up the good cooking! Ignore the haters.

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charge off said...

Kohlrabi, once the favored vegetable of European nobles and peasants alike, has fallen off the veggie pop charts.

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I too like to pick unknown items from the produce section just to see what I can make of them when I'm home.